


From The First Glance

by fangirlingbooknerd



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Bakery AU, First Kiss, Getting Together, Jewish Jack Zimmermann, M/M, Mutual Pining, Non hockey au, Photography AU, Slow Burn, jewish eric bittle, later chapters will have nurseydex and shitty/lardo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-08 10:03:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19104904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirlingbooknerd/pseuds/fangirlingbooknerd
Summary: Non Hockey AU: Jack Zimmermann is still Jack Zimmermann, he still goes to Samwell and plays hockey after his recovery, but he ends up taking his first photography class freshman year and falls in love. He becomes a photographer for the local newspaper, and meets Bitty on the job. Bitty just moved up from Georgia to help with the opening of the second branch of his bakery. From the first glance, both Bitty and Jack are absolutely smitten with each other.





	1. The Meet Cute

**Author's Note:**

> Characters belong to the incredible Ngozi, though plot is all me. Loosely based on some her plot, but barely. I play with the timing a little bit because I’m not gonna lie… I have no idea any dates for any points in the plot so I’m just throwing it out the window. I promise it still makes sense, but actual graduation dates and ages might be slightly off. 
> 
> Hope you like it!!

It was safe to say that Eric Richard Bittle was freaking the fuck out. 

 

His new bakery was supposed to just a week and a half and the local newspaper, the “Boston Times,” was sending a team of people to help with a feature piece for this week’s issue. He knew that it would be great for sales, and that Bitty’s Bakery needed any help it could get. He just really needs this to go well. 

 

HIs family was not too thrilled (to say the least) about his second chain being opened all the way up in Boston. “Dicky, Boston is so far away. And it’s so cold up there! And you’ve seen how rowdy they can be when it comes to sports… is this really the environment you want to surround yourself with?” His mom tried to reason with him over and over but he just had to get out of Georgia. 

 

Samwell University was his dream school, but when the scholarship money he had hoped for didn’t come in, he was stuck to four years at the University of Georgia. He opened his first bakery in Atlanta right after graduation, and in less than two years his profits have increased so much that he was opening a second location. He knew most people expected him to do a second Georgia location, or maybe even branch out to South Carolina, but he had to get out of the south. Even if he couldn’t go to Samwell, he could live in the area next to it, the area that was a hell of a lot more accepting than small town Georgia. 

 

Bitty was a little worried about trying to bring the warmth and comfort of southern pastries in a such a cold area, but he knew that if anyone could do it, it was him. He also knew that a lot of this rested on how well his “Boston Times” interview went. He had no idea who was interviewing him, so he decided to play it safe and make a lot of mini pies rather than just one large one. He had blueberry, cherry, apple, and even a pecan pie. He thought about attempting to tackle a Boston cream, but that’s more cake than pie, and he wanted to take no chances. 

 

At 8:58 he pulled his pies out of the oven. At 9:00 on the dot the team from the “Times” walked in. _Here goes nothing_ , Bitty thought, pulling the door of the bakery open with a smile on his face. “Hey, y’all! I’m Eric Bittle, owner of this bakery, but please, call me Bitty.” 

 

“Hey, Bitty, I’m Derek Nurse, reporter for the Times. With me is Jack Zimmermann, he’ll be lurking in the shadows taking photos throughout the interview,” Derek said, giving Jack a playful nudge. The introduction of Jack was completely unnecessary; Bitty had known who he was from the first glance. 

 

“Pleasure to meet you,” Jack said, holding a hand out for a shake. Bitty grabbed his hand tightly. Maybe a little too tightly. But it’s not everyday that you’re childhood hero shows up at your place of work, looking so gorgeous it almost hurt. 

 

Figure skating was not heavily encouraged for boys in Georgia, so Bitty tried out hockey, wanting to be on the ice in any way he could. He remembers how Jack was his favorite up and coming player right away, but that might just be because he was the hottest person Bitty had ever seen. He remembers that Jack was Bitty’s first real crush, when he knew he couldn’t deny who he was anymore. He remembers the news reports from when Jack went to rehab, how they weren’t sure which part of the scandal to focus on: the drug overdose or the secret relationship with Kent Parson. He remembers the break up in the public eye, he remembers Parson becoming the first out NHL player, he remembers his father saying how he would never root for the Las Vegas Aces ever again. He remembers hoping Jack would be okay. Clearly he was okay, more than okay. His eyes are even more blue in person, like the Georgia sky on a summer day. They almost seem to shine, and his smile is small and a little crooked, suggesting it’s genuine and rarely used. Bitty wants to die. 

 

“Uh… Eri- I mean, Bitty?” Jack stammers. That’s when Bitty realizes that he never let go of Jack’s hand, and that he’s staring at Jack as if he’s the most beautiful thing Bitty has ever seen (he is). 

 

“Sorry, sorry, wow I’m so sorry that was so rude. My mama would kill me if she ever saw me starin’ like that!” 

 

Jack chuckles. “Well, I promise I won’t tell her.” He even throws on a wink for good measure. Bitty is pretty sure his heart stopped beating for a second. 

 

“Right, well,” Derek interrupts, the playful look in his eye not matching his authoritative tone, “let’s get down to business.” 

 

“Yes! Yes, of course! So this is Bitty’s Bakery, but you know that obviously. I opened my first one about two years ago, right after I graduated in June.” 

 

“So that would be June 2017?” Derek questions. 

 

“Yes! Exactly!” Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Jack looking around the place, camera loosely hanging from his next. _Focus, Bitty, focus._ “I was pretty much an overnight success. I baked a lot, pretty much every free second I had actually, so a lot of the people at the University of Georgia had already tried my cooking. I say people, not students, because I’ve seen more than one professor sneak a pie into their office,” Bitty says with a laugh. “I can’t tell you who, sometimes because not even I knew the professors! I just left them in the common areas. Everyone quickly knew what an Eric Bittle pie looked and tasted like, and scrambled to get as many as they could.” 

 

Jack takes a photo of Bitty as he tells his story. Bitty hopes that Jack captured him relaxed and smiling, rather than laughing with his nose all scrunched up. 

 

“That’s incredible. Your pies must be really something special then. I see you’ve got quite the array sitting over on that table.” Derek points to where his mini pies are. 

 

“Yes! I made mini blueberry, cherry, apple, and pecan pies for you today! Please feel free to try any of them. Or all of them! You too, Mister Zimmermann.” 

 

“Oh, uh, thank you, and just Jack is fine. Nursey, before you dive in, let me get a couple photos first, eh? No one wants to see demolished pies,” he chirps. Nursey backs away from the table, looking a little guilty. 

 

“Nursey? Where did that nickname come from?” 

 

“Oh, well, Jack and I have coworkers who used to play hockey, actually one of them played hockey with Jack at Samwell, and anyway he thinks nicknames are an important part of employee cohesion, so he dished them out week one. I guess they kind of stuck.” 

 

“It’s even weirder,” Jack jumps in, “when you know that this coworker’s nickname is Shitty. He genuinely tells people to call him Shitty.” 

 

Eric let out a startled laugh. “My mama would never go for that! She’d probably take to callin’ him Mr. Crappy or something as equally ridiculous.” 

 

Both Nursey, _no Bitty call him Derek._ Both Derek and Jack laugh at that. “Yeah, I guess I lucked out with mine being Nursey. It might be unprofessional to tell you to call me that, but the way I’m about to devour these pies is DEFINITELY unprofessional, so I think we can just moved past that.” 

 

Bitty sees that Jack is stepping back, and giving Nursey the go ahead. “Well then, Nursey, I hope you like the pies. They’re my MooMaw’s recipes,” he says proudly. “Jack, do you have a nickname?” 

 

Jack flushes, and Nursey tries to answer for him, but his mouth is already full of pie. Sighing, Jack replies, “Technically I have two. Shitty really liked Jay-Z, but Tater really likes Zimmboni, especially since I played hockey. So, my nickname really depends on who you ask.” Bitty nodded like he knew who or what a Tater was. 

 

Nursey looks up from inhaling the pies. “Bitty, these are phenomenal! Seriously! Now I see why everyone was scrambling to try some Eric Bittle pie, this is literally the best pastry I’ve ever had. Jack, you HAVE to try this.” Nursey picks up a piece of the pecan pie with his fork. “Look, he even made pecan pie. You love pecan pie!” As excited as Bitty is, he is a little scandalized at the way Nursey is pronouncing “pecan” all exaggerated, like peh-cahn. 

 

Unable to resist, Bitty blurts, “Peh-cahn? I think you mean pee-can! This is wholesome southern cookin’ after all.” 

 

Nursey bursts out laughing. “Don’t even try with him. Mr. Canada over here always says it like that, no matter where he is or who calls him out on it. Camila, one of our coworkers, literally debated it with him for fifteen minutes before giving up.” 

 

Jack is looking at his feet, flushed a rather dark color. “Maybe Canadians are the ones pronouncing it right,” he mumbles. Still looking down, he grabs the fork from Nursey’s hand and tries the pecan pie. He lifts his head to meet Bitty’s eyes, clearly surprised. “This is… this is really good. This is the best pie I’ve ever had.” He’s looking at Bitty with almost wonder in his eyes, making those butterflies in Bitty’s stomach flutter like crazy. 

 

“You bet it is!” Nursey shouts as he stuffs another piece of pie in his mouth, using the other fork Bitty left out for them. Jack quickly snaps a photo of Nursey eating the pie, and then another as Nursey closes his eyes, smiling as he truly tastes the pie. “Unreal, Bitty, unreal. Boston is so lucky to have this place, wow. Why Boston instead a second location a little closer to home?”

 

Bitty had been expecting this question, but he was still nervous to answer. He couldn’t out himself; he knew that his parents and grandparents and all the rest of his family and friends would be reading this article. He decided on telling the truth, even if only partially. “Oh, well, I really fell in love with the idea of Boston my senior year of high school. My dream school was Samwell, actually, but uh, the scholarship situation just didn’t work out.” Jack raises his eyebrows at the mention of Samwell, likely figuring out that Bitty’s reasons for liking Samwell were the same as Jack’s. “I liked my time at Georgia, don’t get me wrong, but I couldn’t help but dream of Boston every night. When the first Bitty’s Bakery was doing well enough to expand, I just had to come up here. I left a good friend from back home in charge of the original, with strict instructions to call my MooMaw if there were any problems, and moved up here to start this one.” 

 

“Well we are so glad to have you up here,” Nursey starts. Bitty prays that he won’t comment on Samwell. Luckily, that detail wasn’t one of interest to him. “You’ve mentioned your MooMaw twice now. Can you tell her about her, and what exactly a MooMaw is?”

 

“Oh, of course! I forget that y’all don’t speak southern. MooMaw is my grandma, and she is my favorite person in the whole world. I’ve been bakin’ with her for about as long as I can remember. She always taught me that the way to the heart is through the stomach, and she certainly won my heart with that!” Bitty laughs, a relaxed happiness coming over him as he talks about her.

 

“She won mine too,” Nursey jokes. 

 

“She was good at that. I can’t think of a single person who didn’t like her, to be honest. I was lucky enough to be her favorite grandkid -don’t believe any of what my cousins tell you, they all know I’m the favorite- and I got to help her every time she came over. She taught me how to make all the desserts that you see in front of you today. The Georgia location serves pastries using only her recipes, but this one will be a mixture of her recipes and new ones that I’ve created. I saw a lot of patterns in the makin’ of these pies, and learned a lot about how different ingredients affect pies in different ways, and came up with some ones that I think y’all will really love. I even have a maple pecan pie in the works, Mister Zimmerman.” Bitty throws a smile at Jack as he says it. 

 

Jack’s face lights up as he says that. “That sounds incredible. Guess I’ll have to come back once this place opens, eh?” Bitty nods. He wants nothing more than for Jack to come back to this bakery. 

 

Bitty is still smiling stupidly at Jack as Nursey says, “I think I’ve got all the information I need for this piece. I mean, these pies pretty much speak for themselves. Jack, are you all good with photos?” 

 

Jack snaps his gaze away from Bitty at the sound of his name. “Oh- I- uh-“

 

“Chiiiiill. We can stay longer if you need more.” 

 

Jack nods and takes a couple more photos of the pies, which are now just crumbs. “I want a couple of the storefront. Bitty, do you want to stand under the sign? I think that could be a good one to blow up and feature.” He looks to Nursey, who nods.

 

“Alright, I guess. Lead the way, Jack.”

 

Smiling for the camera has never been easier. He knows that these photos are gonna be incredible, not just because Jack freakin’ Zimmerman is taking them, but because he can’t turn off his smile every time he looks at Jack. The camera just seems to small in his hands, hands that he’d really love to hold. He makes a very serious face as he snaps photos, a face that should look intimidating but that Bitty finds adorable. 

 

Jack puts the camera down. “Well, I’ve got what I need.” Is it Bitty’s imagination, or does he almost seem sad that he’s done? “Nurse, you ready?”

 

Nursey looks up from where he’s been off to the side on his phone, and walks to where Bitty and Jack are standing. “Yeah. Thank you so much for the pies and the interview, Bitty. This place is really great. The feature will be in this Sunday’s paper, make sure to get yourself a copy.”

 

Bitty shakes his hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Nursey. You too, Jack.” He gives Jack another handshake, this time an appropriate one. 

 

Jack gives Bitty a small smile. “Likewise. I’ll see you opening day? That maple pecan pie sounds to good to pass up on.” 

 

Bitty grins. “I promise to save you a very special piece, Mister Zimmerman.” Opening day couldn’t come soon enough. 


	2. The Ride Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Jack’s POV instead of Bitty’s! Jewish Jack is my number one fave headcanon, which I included by having Jack use some really common Yiddish. I put an * next to the words that he uses, and I’m including definitions in the end notes. Hope you like chapter two!

Jack knew that the second Bitty was out of earshot he was going to be mercilessly chirped by Nursey. The second the car door closed, Nursey looked over at Jack with a shit eating grin on his face. “So,” he waggles his brows, “you like the baker.” 

 

_Oy vey*, Nursey didn’t waste any time._ “Nursey…” Nursey looks at Jack expectantly. “I think that Eric Bittle made a very tasty pecan pie. And that I will certainly be back on opening day to try some of that maple pecan pie because it sounds delicious.” 

 

Nursey raises a brow. “See that gives your crush away more than anything. Despite not playing hockey anymore you still survive on a hockey player’s diet, and that means no sweets for you. I expected you to try a bite today out of politeness, gotta love Canadians, but you said you would go back. And you sound serious! You wouldn’t ruin your nutrition plan for just anyone.” 

 

“Chill,” Jack says, earning him a stink eye from Nursey. “First of all, one slice of pie won’t ruin my nutrition plan.” Jack can practically hear Nursey’s thoughts right now. _That’s what we always try to tell you, but always disagreed. You’re going for Bitty! Because you liiiiike him. “_ Fine, maybe Bitty is exactly my type, but we don’t even know if he swings my way, okay? Besides, it is completely unprofessional to flirt on the job, so I couldn’t.” Jack knew that all Nursey heard was _I like him, but I’m scared._

 

“Well good thing you won’t be working when you go in for that maple pecan pie on opening day, right?”

 

“Right,” replies Jack automatically. “Wait, no, I-”

 

“HA! I KNEW you had a crush on him. Wow, I didn’t expect you to crack that easily. You must reallllly like him, then. You know, I could go with you on opening day, be your wingman. Hype you up to Bitty. I mean I can totally see it. I’m so glad we got paired up for this assignment, bro. If we do a follow up piece, I’m requesting you as my photographer so I can set! You! Uuuuup!” 

 

“Can you stop being a yenta* for like five seconds? I will most certainly not be flirting with him on opening day! Do you know busy he’s going to be?” 

 

“So what I’m hearing is… You’ll flirt with him a different day? And I’ll be your wingman then?” Jack shakes his head and lets out a sigh. He knows he can’t escape when Nursey gets like this. “Oh yeah! Mission “Get Zimmermann a Boyfriend” is officially ON!” 

 

Nursey’s excitement hasn’t dulled at all by the time they reach the office. They find Shitty in the lobby, coming back from a coffee run, holding two coffees instead of just one. Must be a rough day. “Shitty! Shitty, guess what! You’re not gonna fucking believe this, okay, so you know how Jack and I went to that new bakery today? The baker is a little blonde boy from Georgia and Jack has a cruuuush on him.” 

 

“Our ever so stoic Jay-Z has a crush? Figures it would be on a tiny blonde, he does have a type after all.” Jack rolls his eyes at Shitty’s comments. “Come on, you know I’m just chirping.” He throws an arm over Jack’s shoulder. “I just want you to be happy, man.” He presses a kiss to Jack’s cheek. “Well, legal is fucking slammed as always so I’ve gotta head back but I’ll see you around. I expect to hear about this baker, Jack!” The last sentence is yelled as Shitty starts to walk away, back to the conference room on the left side of the building. 

 

Nursey and Jack head to the right, towards Jack’s office, with Jack leading the way. He’s half convinced that he only has such a nice office because the Editor In Chief has a massive crush on his dad, but he also knows that he has worked hard to be where he is. Jack photographs at least half of every single issue of the newspaper, and has even tried his hand at cowriting once or twice. (It went horribly, and they didn’t end up printing it, but he tried!) 

 

The “Boston Times” is a small local publication, but owned by a much larger publishing company, so the building is large and always packed. The newspaper shares the building with a couple other publications, though he almost never really reads those. Walking out of the elevator is Larissa Duan, though she goes by Lardo now (thanks, Shitty). He doesn’t really know much about Lardo other than that she does something with art and that Shitty is crushing on her but won’t admit it. He gives her a nod as she walks past him. “Wait,” she calls as he starts to step in the elevator. 

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Have you seen Shitty today?” 

 

Jack knows that she’s hoping for a casual tone, so he acts as if she asked in one. “Yeah, he was headed back to his office. He just came back from a coffee run.”

 

Lardo smiles. “Thanks, Jack. Have a good day. Oh, and you too, Nursey! Didn’t see you back there.” Nursey smiles at her as she heads towards Shitty’s office. Jack and Nursey share a look. Guess that explains the two coffees. _Good for him. Who knows, maybe that could be you soon? Bitty showing up here with two coffees and- Stop. You don’t even know if he likes guys. Though he did say Samwell was his dream school and- NO! That means nothing._ Jack is so lost in his thoughts that he doesn’t even notice the elevator opening. 

 

Nursey nudges him and raises an eyebrow. “You good?” 

 

“Yeah, fine, just distracted.”

 

“The Jack Zimmermann I know is never distracted. You’re so far gone for Bitty, aren’t you?” He chuckles softly. “Good luck, buddy. And I’m serious about being your wingman. Or even just coming with you for moral support. I’ve got your back, okay?” 

 

Jack nods. “I think I might take you up on that second part, the moral support thing. And maybe bring Shitty, too? I definitely don’t want to flirt with him on opening day, especially since I don’t even know if he likes guys…” Jack trails off.

 

Nursey understands where this is going though. “But people always seem to come out to Shitty, so you think that if he’s there maybe you’ll find out.” 

 

Jack shrugs. “I know it’s silly, but”

 

“Hey, no, it’s cute. You and me and Shitty will go to Bitty’s opening next week and we are going to have a great time. But we actually need to get this spread done unless you want us to be the only three people at Bitty’s opening.” Jack smiles and gets to work. Opening day couldn’t come soon enough. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitions from yiddishslangdictionary.com   
> Oy vey- exclamation of negativity or woe  
> Yenta- gossip; busybody; matchmaker


	3. The Morning Of

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter three! I still think this story is gonna be about five chapters, so we’re about halfway there. I know this is such a slowburn, but I hope you like it anyway.

_William Poindexter was an absolute godsend_ , Bitty thought as he caught a glimpse of Dex’s red baseball cap from where Dex was crouched behind the refrigerator. It was one hour until opening time of “Bitty’s Bakery” and Bitty may have slammed the fridge door shut a little harder then he normally would. He definitely didn’t think it would cause the top half of the fridge to shut down! Thankfully, he had been able to smush everything in his second fridge, but that had taken some VERY careful maneuvering on his end. He was stressed, okay? Extra stressed from having to move around all of his cold goods.

 

There was a lot riding on this opening. His mother wasn’t here, a turn of events that actually helped him feel better. She was supposed to fly up but her flight got cancelled due to bad weather in Georgia. Is it bad that her absence made him feel better? Almost certainly. He just knew that she was his most important critic, and it’s one less person to worry about. Besides, he knew that she sent her love and support from wherever she was. 

 

That just left every other customer for Bitty to worry about. He was worried about too many people showing up, he was worried about too few people showing up, he was worried about a certain someone coming, he was worried about a certain someone not coming. Bitty really, REALLY wanted Jack to come today. The maple pecan pie was about to go in the oven, as soon as the cherry pie was done. 

 

The oven dinged, and Bitty switched out the cherry pie for the maple pecan one. He set the cherry pie on the cooling rack, then went over to check on Dex. He found Chris Chow, affectionately known as Chowder, the cashier, back there with him. Chowder had been one of the first people Bitty met in Boston, and easily the nicest. Chowder helped him navigate the T and then gave Bitty his number just in case Bitty needed help again. Touched, Bitty made him his favorite pie (peach) and invited him over to his little apartment. The two have been best friends ever since. 

 

It was actually Chowder who introduced Bitty to Dex. The oven in his apartment was an old piece of shit that he named Betsy. Bitty loved her dearly, but she had been on the verge of a breakdown since the moment Bitty moved in. When she finally died, Bitty called Chowder, unsure of what else to do. “Oh! Bitty, I have a friend who’s really good with this sort of thing. His name is Dex, and he’s really nice. Okay, well maybe not really nice at first, he’s kinda grumpy and short tempered, but you’ll love him. He’s like my best friend! Not that you’re not my best friend too. I can have more than one best friend, can’t I? Caitlin says I can. I just love both of you so much!” 

 

“Of course you can have more than one best friend, sweetie. Now would mind giving me your friend’s number? I need someone to look as this as soon as they can. I just don’t know what I’ll do without her.”

 

“Yeah! I’ll send it to you right now! If you still wanna bake, do you wanna come here? I’m sure Caitlin won’t mind. She loves you… and your pies.” 

 

Heading over to Chowder’s, Bitty texted the number that Chowder had sent him. _Hey, this is Bitty, Chris Chow’s friend. He said you could fix my oven? She broke down today but I’m not exactly sure what’s wrong with her._

 

Bitty was surprised at how fast Dex had replied. _Yeah I can definitely take a look, always happy to help a friend of Chowder’s. Tomorrow?_ Bitty grinned and confirmed the time as he stepped into Chowder’s apartment. 

 

The next day, Bitty got to meet Dex, wearing what Bitty now knows is his signature red baseball cap backwards. He was accompanied by Chowder. “Hi again, Bitty! Dex asked if I could come with him today and I was like YES! My two best friends in the same room!” 

 

Bitty pulled Chowder in for a hug. “It’s always good to see you, honey.” He stuck out a hand to Dex. “Eric Bittle, but you can call me Bitty.” 

 

Dex shook it awkwardly. “William Poindexter, but, uh, I go by Dex.” There was a beat of silence. “So where’s the oven?” 

 

Dex had been able to fix the oven in record time, and Bitty instantly hired him as help around his bakery. Officially, he was a bus boy. Unofficially, he was the bakery handyman, helping out with whatever sort of problem went wrong. He may not be great with the customers, but the skills he that does have are invaluable. Like how right now, less than an hour before opening, he’s calmly working on the fridge, red cap on backwards with Chowder holding the toolkit. 

 

“Morning, Bitty!” Chowder greeted Bitty so cheerfully, as if it wasn’t insanely early and nothing was going wrong. Bitty had never loved him more. 

 

“Morning, Chowder! You’re in a little early, aren’t you? You don’t have to be here for, like, another half hour, sweetheart, you know that right?” 

 

“Yeah, I just came in early to keep Dex some company. But, I’d be happy to help you with anything if you need me to.”

 

“No, you’re good, keep helping Dex. How’s she looking?” This last question is directed at Dex. 

 

Not looking up from where he’s working, Dex replies, “Better. Gimme just a couple more minutes and she’ll be back.” 

 

“You are talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular. As soon as I get home today, I’m making you a pie, you hear?” Dex smiled, a quick show of gratitude, but continued working all the same. He knew how important every second was at a time like this. 

 

Bitty started on some of the dishes that had piled up, trying to do something useful. Every second felt like an eternity as he waited for Dex to finish up fixing the refrigerator. 

 

When Bitty looked up at the clock and saw less than half an hour left until opening, he couldn’t take it anymore. Drying his hands, he exclaims, “y’all I sweating more than a sinner in church, I’m so nervous! Every minute that I’m not doing something I feel like I’m gonna die. What if no one comes today? Or what if we run out of food? What if-“ 

 

“Breathe, Bitty. Deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth. It’s gonna be great.” Bless Chowder’s heart, he’s really gonna try to calm Bitty down right now. 

 

“Can you even say that expression if you don’t actually go to church?” Dex questions. 

 

“Look I might be Jewish, but I’m also from Georgia, so sure as hell am I gonna say “like a sinner in church,” is that clear? And are you really questioning me right now when you KNOW-“ Bitty stops, seeing Dex flush an awfully bright red. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I’m just so tense right now, you know I don’t mean that.” 

 

“S’okay, Bitty. I get it. And I really am almost done with this fridge, I promise.” 

 

“I know exactly what will make you calm down,” Chowder says, eager to change the subject. He hates it when his best friends fight. He’s never been more glad for the universally unifying power of Beyoncé. He queues up “Halo” since he knows how much Bitty loves that song, and hopes the soothing tone will help calm his nerves. By the time the second verse rolls around, Bitty’s a lot more relaxed. Though that probably has more to do with Dex finishing the fridge than the song. With exactly twenty minutes until opening, Dex had fixed the fridge.

 

Nineteen minutes until opening, the first customer gets in line outside the door. Bitty was surprised, but maybe he shouldn’t have been. _That article Nursey wrote about the bakery WAS very flattering,_ he thinks. Nursey had raved about the pies Bitty had served him, and the chosen pictures were absolutely delightful. They’d given the piece a two page spread. Sure enough, as Jack practically promised, one of the pictures of Bitty under the “Bitty’s Bakery” sign was blown up large on the first page, but he was actually more interested in the photos on the second page. Jack had captured a close-up of Nursey eating the pie, expression of pure joy on his face. Also on that page was a shot of Nursey and Bitty talking, though this time the photo was from further away, also capturing the cozy atmosphere of the bakery in the background. Bitty had the newspaper spread hung on the top of the front door to the bakery, as well as on the counter under the cash register. He could have sworn that he caught Dex checking out the spread a couple times since putting it up. At first he ignored it, but after the third time in just twenty minutes, he started to suspect that instead of reading the review, Dex was busy checking out the cute reporter. Bitty shakes his head, clearing his thoughts. He moves away from his spot so he can’t see out the door anymore, and makes sure to avoid looking through any windows before the actual opening. 

 

Eighteen minutes until opening, Suzanne Bittle called. “Dicky, my darling, how are things? I’m so sorry that I can’t be there with you.” 

 

“It’s okay, mama, I know you tried. Also, I see you calling eighteen minutes before the opening. You’re not as subtle as you think you are. Anyway, things are little crazy. The fridge broke, but thankfully Dex was able to fix it. Lemme tell you, that boy is an absolute blessing. My last pie is almost done cooking, and should be ready to go by the time we open those doors.”   
  
“Oh, I hope it goes well! I’m sure it will. I mean, those boys at the newspaper surely liked your food. And that picture of you outside the sign is just darling! I already cut it out and put it in a frame on the wall. Thank you so much for sending me a copy.” She pauses for a second to breathe. “And of course I’m gonna call you eighteen minutes before opening! What kind of Jewish mother would I be if I wasn’t insanely “extra” as you kids say these days? L’Chaim, ya know? And I think today of all days is a good one to celebrate.” 

 

Bitty sighs. “You’re right mama, l’chaim. But listen, I gotta go. I promise I’ll call you later, alright? Love you.”

 

“Love you too, baby, bye.” Fifteen minutes until opening, Mama Bittle hangs up the phone. 

 

Thirteen minutes until opening, Bitty’s last pie is done. 

 

Ten minutes until opening, Dex and Chowder start to do last minute prep. Dex starts reorganizing the refrigerators as Chowder opens up the register, making sure to open up all of the coin rolls before the customers flood him. Bitty tackles the last of the dishes that are left in the sink. 

 

Seven minutes before opening, Ransom and Holster come in through the back door. They’re his other two employees, and truly quite the pair. Together, they’ve really become the jack of all trades. The two are so inseparable that they asked for all their training to be done together, which meant that they now knew pretty much everything about the bakery. They can work the register, fill up the dishwasher the way Bitty needs them to, properly cut and serve slices of pie. Normally they wouldn’t be here when Dex and Chowder are, but Bitty’s hoping for a large enough turnout to need all hands on deck. They call out an in-sync “good morning!” that honestly spooks Bitty a little as they put on their aprons. 

 

Five minutes until opening, Bitty straightens his serving materials for the third time and lets Ransom take his place behind the counter. Today Bitty had to greet every single customer, no distractions. Walking away, he checks the back for Holster, who looks wait he’s waiting for disaster by the sink. He sees Holster and Dex chatting, but it’s too soft to make out what they’re saying. _Good_ , Bitty thinks, _Dex has a new friend._

 

Three minutes until opening, Chowder takes a quick peek outside. He won’t tell Bitty what he sees, but his smile clearly means good news. 

 

Two minutes until opening, Bitty cuts off a special piece of the maple pecan pie for Jack, writing a “J” on it in maple syrup. He really hopes that Jack comes. 

 

One minute until opening, Chowder double checks that his name tag is straight before standing behind the register at attention. Dex pushes his red cap down further on his head, making sure it’s secure, and places his toolkit in an easy access spot in back, just in case. He high fives Holster for good measure. Ransom stands straight with a smile on his face, eyes on the door. Bitty takes deep breaths like Chowder suggested earlier and starts walking to the door. 

 

At opening time, Bitty lets a deep sigh out, glances back at Chowder, Dex, Ransom, and Holster (who are all encouragingly smiling) and throws open the doors. “Hey, y’all! Welcome to Bitty’s Bakery!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I was just gonna make Jack Jewish, but then I was like, why not make Bitty Jewish too


	4. The Opening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want to thank everyone who has made it this far in the story. Obviously you post things hoping that at least one person will read it, so to see almost 300 hits (especially on my third fic ever) is very exciting! I’ve got the whole story planned out at this point. I’m not sure if I’m just gonna post one really long last chapter, or two medium ones yet though. Depends on which POV I like better lol.

When Jack gets in line about five minutes before “Bitty’s Bakery” opens, there’s already about a dozen people in the line. Shitty and Nursey eye the line appreciatively, probably already thinking about how good of a sign this was. Normally Jack would also be thinking that, but his thoughts are consumed by a certain baker from Georgia. 

 

He would never admit it out loud, though he’s sure his friends already know, Jack has been thinking about Bitty a lot ever since the interview. He’s usually not like this, but there’s something so magnetic about Bitty. He can’t remember ever falling this hard, this fast. 

 

With Kenny, it had been gradual. The two of them had been friends for years before Jack realized that the low rush in his gut every time he looked at Kenny was more than just the excitement of looking at your best friend. It was years after that before Jack was brave enough to say something. When they were together, it was thrilling but terrifying. The highs were incredible, but the lows were so bad. When he was sent to the hospital for the overdose, he remembers Kenny, wild and reckless, begging to be let in to his room. “I’m his boyfriend, let me in! I love him and he loves me, okay I’m basically family!” Someone had filmed that on their crappy little phone camera, and the news outlets ate it up. Their breakup was brutal, but necessary. They’re technically friends now, but their relationship is still a little strained. Jack can’t help the little ping he feels in his heart every time he watches the Aces and sees crowd favorite Kent Parson score a goal. 

 

With Camilla, it was never intense. It was casual, it was short. They met at work, she thought he was cute, she asked him out. He agreed, but after a month, he realized that every time he thought about the future, he couldn’t find a place for her in it. They were still friends, and Jack actually set her up with her current girlfriend, Georgia Martin. 

 

With Bitty, he was gone from the first “y’all” that slipped out of Bitty’s mouth. Jack’s afraid of what this means for him. He doesn’t want to be consumed by another Kent Parson style relationship, but something tells him that with Bitty it would be different. Something tells him that Bitty would be sweet, caring, calming, exactly what Jack needs. He can practically imagine the domestic bliss that they would settle into, Jack waking up early to go on runs, coming back to Bitty making breakfast. Throw in a dog, maybe a kid- _WHOA, Jack. Calm down. You’ve barely even spoken to the guy. That’s weird, you creep. Your normal speed is a little fast, but before even knowing if he’s into guys? Calm. The. Fuck. Down. Crisse._

 

“Jack. Jay-Z. Jacky boy. Jackabelle. Zimmboni.” Shitty tried to get Jack’s attention, but he was too lost in his thoughts. Nursey steps in and checks him, sending Jack stumbling a couple steps, and earning Nursey a glare. 

 

“We’ve been trying to get your attention for like two minutes dude. Look at the clock, it’s almost opening time,” Nursey says, showing Jack the watch on his wrist. 

 

“Yeah, and the staff looks excited. Someone in an apron peeked out the window a couple minutes ago and seemed to smile right at you, Jack. Looks like Bitty’s been as excited to see you as you are to see him,” Shitty jokes with a smirk. “As he should be, my gorgeous little Canadian moose.” 

 

“Little moose? Not your best work, Shits,” Jack replies. “Besides, we don’t know that he was excited because of me. Or even because Bitty is thinking about me. Maybe he just knows me from my old hockey days, or maybe he’s really into local photographers.”

 

Shitty taps him on the back, but as he begins to argue back, the doors open. “Hey, y’all! Welcome to Bitty’s Bakery!” Guess it’s go time. Shitty and Nursey shoot Jack matching grins. 

 

 

Bitty is greeting every single customer as they walk through the doors, thanking them for coming and shaking their hand. He looks genuinely thrilled to see every single person in line. Jack can hear him greet the family in front of him, a mom and daughter of about seven. “Thank y’all so much for coming. Especially you, sugar.” He bends down to give the daughter a high five before ushering the ladies inside, both looking charmed. Bitty’s face lights up when he spots Jack and his friends. “Well, well, well, that certainly looks like Jack Zimmermann and Derek Nurse.” He pulls both of them in for a hug. Jack tries really hard to not be weird about the hug. _It’s just a hug, okay? He just is excited to see some familiar faces. See, he’s hugging Nursey too._

 

Bitty sticks a hand out to Shitty. “Hi, I’m Bitty. These boys did a lovely piece on my bakery for this past issue of the newspaper.” He points up to show where he has the spread taped on the top of the door. “Do you work with them?”

 

“Shitty Knight, pleasure to meet you.” He grabs Bitty’s hand and uses it to pull him in for a hug, causing Bitty to laugh. Jack knows he’s never heard a sound as beautiful. He wants to make Bitty laugh, to hear that on repeat forever. “What can I say, I’m a hugger. I do legal the publication with Jay-Z and Nursey, and these boys have not stopped talking about your pie!” 

 

“Oh! You’re Shitty, the one who loves nicknames!”

 

“Ah, I see these boys couldn’t resist talking about me, huh. Was it Jack that brought me up? I bet it was, wasn’t it,” he coos at Jack, tugging him down for a hug and a noogie. 

 

The customers behind them cleared their throat, annoyed at how the boys were holding up the line. “Right, well, y’all better get in there. I have some great stuff out today. Oh, and I did save you that slice of pie, Jack. Just ask Chris, the cashier, about it. Now get in there!” 

 

The trio waves goodbye to Bitty and heads into the bakery. The counter is loaded with pie after pie, flavor after flavor, including the promised maple pecan pie. Jack grins. 

 

“So, bro, he saved you some pie. Clearly he was thinking about you,” Shitty starts. 

 

“Don’t even, Shitty. Let’s just eat some pie.” 

 

He steps up to the register, lowkey freaking out because it’s his turn to order. The cashier gasps. “You’re Jack Zimmermann! Oh, wow, hi! I saw you outside but I didn’t actually believe you were coming in. Bitty made a special piece of pie for you, it’s in the back. Dex will bring it up though, don’t worry. DEX!” Nursey jumps a little at the sound of Chris screaming. “Now, what can I get for you two boys?” 

 

“Hmm they all look so good. Which is your fav,” Shitty begins to ask, but is interrupted by a lanky boy with bright red hair and even brighter red cap. 

 

“Chowder, what’s broken?” The boy asks this shaking with a shake of his toolkit for good measure. 

 

Chris- Chowder?- laughs nervously. “Oh, nothing’s broken. But Jack- uh, I mean Mr. Zimmer- I mean go get that special piece of pie please? It’s time.” 

 

Dex looks away from Chris and blinks, noticing the trio for the first time. He flushes a red so bright it matches is hat. “Right. Uh, I’m Dex,” he says before quickly heading to the back. Both Chris and the man serving the rest of the pies snickers, clearly knowing something that the trio doesn’t. 

 

“Why did Dex think something was broken?” Nursey asks. 

 

“Oh, usually we only yell for him like that when he needs to fix something. He can fix just about anything, he’s really good with his hands!” Jack swears he can see Nursey blushing. Interesting. “Anyway, what can I get ya?”

 

“Chris, or Chowder, I heard him call you Chowder, can I call you that?” At Chris, well at Chowder’s nod, Shitty continues. “Since all the pies look so good, I’ll just have a slice of whatever pie is your favorite. You seem like a good judge of character.”  


Chowder beams. “One slice of peach pie coming right up. And for you,” he asks, looking at Nursey.

 

“Cherry pie, please. I’ve been thinking about it all week.” So softly under his breath that Jack can barely hear it, that Jack knows he shouldn’t have heard it, “but what I wouldn’t give for some carrot cake right now.” _Carrot cake_ , Jack thinks, confused. _Since when does he like carrot cake?_ Out of the corner of his eye, Jack sees Dex heading back with the slice of pie in hand. _Oooooh._

 

Shitty pays for the food as Jack takes the pie from Jack. He can see that in maple syrup, Bitty drew a small J on the pie. Biting back a smile, he follows Shitty to a table in the corner of the bakery, stopping along the way to grab forks and napkins. By the time he makes it to his seat, Shitty is already lost in how good the pie is. Nursey, on the other hand, is lost in thought rather than pie. 

 

“Thinking about Dex?”

 

“Yeah,” Nursey sighs dreamily. “How’d you know?” A pause. “WAIT!”  


Shitty looks up from his pie, clearly excited. “Really? Wow, did not expect that! Well now that both of you boys have a reason to come here, I have a feeling this may become weekly tradition.” 

 

“The pies alone are reason enough, though,” Jack says, finally having tried the maple pecan pie. It’s the best pie Jack’s ever had. 

 

“Fair enough, my man, fair enough. I think this is the best pie I’ve ever had in my life, brah. It’s fucking s’awesome!” 

 

“Well, I’m sure glad you think so, Mr. Shitty,” Bitty says, coming over to their table. “How are my favorite customers doing? Do you like your pie, Mr. Zimmermann?”

 

“Yeah, it’s, wow, it’s uh, really good,” Jack stutters, mouth half full. He swallows, replying, “The “J” was a really nice touch. Guess I’ll have to keep coming back for this VIP treatment, eh?”

 

Bitty blushes. “I guess you will.” Jack smiles at Bitty, and swears that Bitty’s sunshine-y demeanor gets even brighter. Bitty even blushes a little. “What about you, Nursey? Is that cherry pie as good as you remember it?”

 

“I think it might be even better, Bitty, if that’s even possible.” 

 

Bitty waves his hand in a “pshaw” gesture. “Oh, you charmer. I gotta make my rounds, but is there anything else you boys want? I can have someone bring it up for you, no problem.” 

 

“Yeah, actually, can I get a piece of that maple pecan to go?” Jack asks. 

 

“Of course you can! Let me go tell the boys, it’ll be right out.” Bitty dashes to tell Chowder, and points at Jack’s table as he does so. 

 

Jack watches as Chowder turns to the guy by the counter, “Hey, Ransom! Jack wants a maple pecan to go!” 

 

“Cool,” Ransom says, turning to the back. “Yo, Holtzy, can you bring up a to-go box?” 

 

Jack watches as a smug Dex comes forward with the to go box after a pause. “Holster’s elbow deep in dishes right now, but he wants me to tell you that he sends his love. Where is Jack sitting, I’ll go drop it off.” Ransom points out their table and Dex catches Jack staring at him. Jack waves awkwardly and turns to Nursey. 

 

“Looks like ya boy is coming over here.” 

 

Shitty turns, seeing Dex head over to the table. “Oh, this is everything. Let’s fucking go.” 

 

“Hey,” Dex greets, “here’s the pie that you wanted. This is a very special to go box, with a very special pie, so treat it well.” He says this with a completely straight face, so Jack has no idea if he’s joking or not. “Anything else I can get you?” 

 

Shitty leans forward. “Any chance you’d give your number to my friend Nursey over here?” 

 

“Shitty! What happened to not hitting on waiters, huh?” Nursey hisses, looking mortified. Both Dex and Nursey look like they’ll die if they blush any harder. 

 

“Normally I wouldn’t, but the kid blushes every time he so much as looks at you. So,” he turns to face Dex, “will you give our dear buddy, the beloved Derek Nurse, your number?” 

 

“Um, I, uh, well, uh,” Dex stammers, clearly embarrassed. In a bold move, he grabs a pen out of his apron, grabs Nursey’s arm, and scribbles his number on the inside of Nursey’s wrist. Without even saying goodbye, he just picks up the dirty plates on the table and scrambles back to the back of the bakery. 

 

Nursey is staring at his wrist reverently. Jack leaves him with Shitty, who is excitedly congratulating him, and heads back up to the register. “Hey, Chowder, how much was that to go slice?” 

 

“Oh, don’t worry about it. Bitty says it’s on the house.” 

 

Oh, thanks.” He starts to walk away. 

 

“Wait! I have a feeling that Dex picked out a very special box for you, make sure you, uh, open the lid and also look at the bottom?” 

 

“Right… See you, Chowder.”

 

“Bye bye, enjoy the pie!” Gasping, he turns to Ransom. “Rans, that just rhymed!” 

 

When Jack gets back to his table, he follows Chowder’s instructions, he opens up the box, finding nothing except the pie inside. He then looks at the bottom, where he finds, in the same handwriting that’s on Nursey’s arm, and phone number with _this is bitty’s # he doesn’t know I’m giving it 2 u but trust me he wants u 2 have it_ written underneath it. 

 

Smiling stupidly, he shows the box to Shitty and Nursey who instantly cheer for him. He snaps a picture of the box, and sends it to Bitty.  Hey, it’s Jack Zimmermann. Looks like your employees are trying to play matchmaker… It’s working.  He sets his phone on do not disturb immediately after so he won’t be listening constantly for that text tone. He clutches his phone tightly in his hand, and sends up a little prayer that Bitty answers soon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry to leave you on this cliff hanger. I know I’ve been really good about updating everyday but I’m really busy the next couple of days, so my goal is to have the next update by Tuesday.  
> Also I’m lowkey thinking of writing a one-shot spinoff of Dex and Nursey…


	5. The Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time best time. Be sure to read the end notes, there’s some good stuff in there ;)

Bitty has his phone on do not disturb all day, not wanting to be bothered by any notifications on his big day. The place has a steady line for the first hour or so, but starts to slow after then. This causes Bitty to be relieved instead of stressed though, giving him time to whip up some more pies. He had only dreamed of this kind of turnout, but not even he could have predicted the amount of customers that would want a second (or even third!) slice of pie. 

 

Customers start coming in again as he is prepping his next pie, so he has Dex take over for Holster on the dishes (he loves the boy, don’t get him wrong, but Holster just has so much better customer service skills), sending Holster to the front to greet customers. Putting Holster in the front means he’s near Ransom, and those two are such a dynamic duo that Bitty is sure the pies will sell in even larger quantities. He’s utilizing both ovens that he had in the bakery (he had learned the hard way back in Atlanta that sometimes one oven is really not enough, though that was usually when the first oven broke down. He didn’t have a Dex on demand back home.)to cook pies, and sure enough, less than twenty minutes later, a customer purchases an entire pie. 

 

Bitty doesn’t come up for air until the bakery closes. He finally checks his phone only to find it dead. Thankfully he’s catching a ride back with Dex so he doesn’t need to use it to call an Uber or check the T schedule. 

 

All the boys pitch in to help Bitty clean up. Holster busses the last of the tables, bringing the dishes back to where Bitty and Dex are doing dishes. Holster then takes over for Bitty, sending him in Chowder’s direction. Chowder and Bitty go over sales and count out the money in the drawer three times, not being able to believe how much they sold today. Ransom is putting away the some of left over pies into his car, putting some back in the fridge for tomorrow. While Bitty is against serving old pie, he’s even more against waste, so he already carved out a special place in the pastry counter for day old pie, marked down of course. 

 

Finishing much earlier than Bitty expected, Bitty calls the boys in for a little team meeting. “I just want to thank each and every one of y’all for helping me today. I know it ain’t easy workin’ all day, and I know y’all are gonna do it again tomorrow, and I’m just so thankful that I’ve got such a good crew behind me. Y’all made me so proud today. I can’t wait to see everyone again tomorrow.” Is it just Bitty or do everyone’s eyes look a little glassy? “Now, bring it in for a hug.”   
  
Unsurprisingly, Ransom and Holster are the first ones to rush forward for a hug, though Chowder isn’t far behind. Dex comes forward rather reluctantly, but still smiles as he joins them. “Everyone get a good night’s sleep tonight, ya hear?” They agree, laughing, and start to file out the door. 

 

Climbing up into Dex’s pickup truck, Bitty smiles. It was such a good day today, he can’t wait to tell his mama and MooMaw when he gets back to his apartment. 

 

Dex hands him over a charging cord. “Here, I noticed your phone was dead.” 

 

“Oh, thanks, sweetie. Are you sure you don’t need it though? I can’t imagine your phone is much better.” 

 

Dex tightens his grip on the steering wheel and blushes a little. “No, I’m good. It’s all yours.” 

 

“Well, thank you. But what exactly are you hiding from me, Dex?” 

 

Dex blushes brighter, knowing he can’t hide this from Bitty. All in one breath he says, “I kinda gave my number to Derek Nurse but I’m afraid he won’t text me.”

 

_HA! KNEW he had a crush on him,_ Bitty thinks. “Did he ask for your number?”

 

“Yeah, but”

 

“No buts! He’s definitely texted you! Ah, my little William Poindexter, flirting with a boy.” He pretends to wipe a tear from his eye. “They grow up so fast.” 

 

Dex shoots him a look. Bitty laughs, “in all seriousness, I think he has for sure texted you. I can check your phone for you, if you want?” Bitty punctuates this question with a waggle of his brows. 

 

“DON’T YOU DARE!” He yells, before realizing what he’s done. Calmer this time he says, “Don’t. Besides, you should find your own messages interesting enough tonight.” 

 

“William Jacob Poindexter, what did you do?”

 

Dex brushes the brightest red he’s been all night, though that could be from panic. Bitty only pulls out his full name when he’s in big trouble. “I wrote your number on the bottom of Jack Zimmermann’s to go box. You just so clearly had a crush on him, and he looked at you like you hung the moon! I was gonna puke if I saw any more of that mutual pining, and I only had to see it for a couple minutes.”

 

Bitty doesn’t respond, instead choosing to turn on his phone and check his messages. Sure enough, a text message from Jack, time stamped for when he walked out of the bakery this morning. “Oh my goodness, Jack Zimmermann texted me!” 

 

Dex grins. “Yeah, what’d he say?”

 

Hey, it’s Jack Zimmermann. Looks like your employees are trying to play matchmaker… It’s working. 

 

Bitty reads the text out loud to Dex. “Oh man, Bitty, he’s definitely flirting. You’ve gotta flirt back now, you know that, right?”

 

“Yes, Dex, I wasn’t born yesterday.” 

 

**Well, hello, Mr. Zimmermann. I’ve been slammed all day at the bakery but this might just be the most exciting part of my day.**

 

Smiling, he sends the text and looks back towards Dex. “Who knows, you might have a cute boy flirting in your inbox, too?” 

 

“Well, that can be a problem for me only since we have arrived at your apartment. See you tomorrow, Bitty.” 

 

“See ya tomorrow, Dex.” 

 

Jack has answered by the time that Bitty makes it into his apartment. Glad to hear it. I thought your bakery closed at four? It’s almost 5:30 now… Avoiding me?

 

**Never! It just takes a while to close, washing dishes and counting change and all. Makes you hungry too. I work in a bakery but I’ve barely had anything to eat all day.**

 

Well, we can change that? I know a great Chinese food place around here if you’re into that? I can pick up? 

 

**That sounds lovely. It’s a date ;)**

 

;) see you in half an hour

 

Squealing, Bitty throws himself down on his couch. _I have a date with Jack freakin’ Zimmermann! Oh my gosh, I have a date with Jack freakin’ Zimmermann. And I have half an hour_ \- he checks the time- _twenty eight minutes to get ready!_ _What am I gonna wear? He didn’t say the place was fancy, but I definitely wanna look nice. It’s a first date for crying out loud!_

 

Bitty decides on his best pair of jeans and a short sleeve button down shirt with a pair of loafers. Definitely a step up from his normal outfits, but not super fancy. He’s grabbing his wallet as he hears a knock on the door. _Ah! That must be Jack!_

 

He opens the door to reveal an unfairly good-looking Jack. He’s wearing a polo that hugs his biceps just right, _my LORD is this guy ripped_ , and khakis that are doing wonders to his ass. He might not have gone into the NHL, but his ass must’ve missed the memo. To top it all off, Jack was carrying a bouquet of flowers. “Wow,” Jack says, “you look amazing. I uh, I got you these flowers.” Jack hands Bitty the bouquet, continuing, “I wasn’t sure what kind of flower you liked best, but I thought these were pretty nice.” 

 

“They’re gorgeous. Here, lemme go put them in some water. Come on in.” 

 

Jack steps into Bitty’s apartment, openly looking at every single detail. He doesn’t seem to be harshly judging, but rather looking appraisingly. “This place is great, Bitty. Those windows you have are amazing, bringing in a lot of natural light to this place. At sunset this place must be stunning, everything was a golden haze, the shine of…” he trails off. “Sorry, I just went full photographer mode on you. Shitty sometimes jokes that I’m like a robot with a couple different modes, but that photographer mode is the most common one.” He rubs his next awkwardly. “We should really get going. You must be hungry after a long day at work, right?” 

 

Feeling merciful, Bitty saves him. “Yeah, let’s go!” He hooks him around Jack’s. “Lead the way, Mr. Zimmermann.” Jack looks at their interlocked arms and blushes just enough that Bitty can make it out, before heading out the door. 

 

Bitty was expecting Jack to be polite, obviously- it IS a first date after all- but he was not expecting it from the get go. Jack walks them over to the passenger side door, and opens it for Bitty to get in. Once Bitty is settled, Jack closes the door and goes to get ready to drive. Once they’re out of the parking lot, Bitty can’t resist commenting. “What manners you have, Jack! My mama would be very proud. Guess Canadian politeness really does match good southern manners.” 

 

“Oh, eh, well,” Jack stammers, “thank you?” 

 

Bitty laughs and pats Jack’s arm. “It’s a very good thing, sweetheart.” Jack smiles a little at the pet name.

 

The drive passes quickly, full of easy conversation that Bitty didn’t expect from a first date. (Jack didn’t expect it either, but it is pleasantly surprised. If he can get Bitty to call him charming Tater is gonna owe him twenty bucks. Ha!) 

 

They pull up to the restaurant in a deep debate about hockey and who the best players in the league currently are. They’re going team by team, state by state, starting on the southeast coast with the Florida Panthers. 

 

 

They take a quick pause from the debate to look at the menu. Well, so Bitty can look at the menu. Jack gets the same thing every time, but no way is Bitty going to get his practically protein only dish. “So, what looks good,” Jack asks. 

 

“I think I’m gonna get the pad thai. I know it might not technically be Chinese food, but it’s one of my favorite all time dishes.”

 

“Valid choice. I really like the shrimp pad thai, but I’m sure their chicken pad thai is good too.” 

 

“Oh, well I was just gonna get it plain.” 

 

“Are you sure? You should really eat more protein.” 

 

Now, Bitty knows that Jack probably meant that as a chirp, but Bitty also knows that that comment was not okay. His anger must show on his face, because before he can even say anything, Jack’s face pales. “No, no I just meant because, it was,” Jack stumbles over his words, wanting to make things better but afraid to make the situation worse.

 

“You listen here, Jack Laurent Zimmermann,” Bitty starts. He silently blesses Wikipedia; his voice wouldn’t be nearly as threatening if he didn’t already know Jack’s middle name. “Just because I’m not six feet of hockey player muscle does not mean I am weak. I was a small gay boy in Georgia. Even if I wasn’t out, people guessed, since most boys don’t like figure skating. So yeah, I can throw a punch just as well as the rest of them. Trust me, you wouldn’t wanna drop your gloves against me.” The last part might not be entirely true; Jack could definitely take him in a fight, but he doesn’t need to know that. 

 

Jack, staring at the floor, is looking properly chastened. “I’m sorry. You’re right, I should’ve thought that through first. I know you owe me nothing, but it’d mean a lot if you stayed for the rest of the date.” Jack looks up at him nervously. 

 

“Oh, I wouldn’t walk out just because of a little chirp gone wrong. But make that joke again and I just might.” 

 

Jack looks relieved, even slouching a little in his seat. “Thank you,” he says, accent heavy. 

 

The waitress comes up to them then, taking their order, giving them the chance to move and continue the conversation. “So we were on Missouri, right? That’s the St. Louis Blues,” Bitty starts, bringing them back to the conversation started in the car. 

 

Things are going really well until the start to get to the west coast and hit Nevada, home of the Las Vegas Aces. 

 

“You’re entitled to your wrong opinion, I guess. Let’s just move on. What’s the next state? Nevada?” Instantly, Jack looks strained, and Bitty knows he’s said the wrong thing. He freezes, trying to think of why Jack would hate Vegas. Then it clicks: Kent Parson, his ex-boyfriend, is the captain of the team. Even so, the media coverage had always made it seem like an amiable breakup. Yes, Parson went crazy when Jack was admitted to the hospital, but that was because he loved Jack so much. In every interview he said that the two just couldn’t make it work long distance, but that the two would always love and respect each other. The “so that was a fucking lie” meme pops into his head. “We can just skip Nevada and move on to California.” 

 

Jack looks grateful. “It’s just, well I’m sure you know if you’ve been following hockey your whole life.” 

 

“It’s okay, honey, you don’t have to talk about him.” 

 

“It was a bad breakup. We’re technically friends, but it’s hard. I… So, California. Do you want to start with the Sharks or the Kings?” 

 

“Sharks. Chowder, that’s my cashier Chris, is the world’s biggest Sharks fan. His whole apartment is decked out in Sharks merch, it’s insane.” 

 

From then on, the conversation flows as easily as it did in the car. After Jack pays the check (yes, Bitty protested but when Jack said “I asked you out, so I’ll pay for this one. You can take the next one” Bitty was a goner), the two realize that their night is almost coming to an end. 

 

“I know you worked with pie all day, but would you want to get dessert? There’s the Jewish deli a few stores down that has really good rugelach*. Wait, do you know what rugelach is? I would assume yes because you’re a baker?” 

 

“I do know what rugelach is, but because I’m a good Jewish boy who loves pastries, not because I’m a baker.” 

 

Jack blinks. “But you’re from Georgia?” 

 

Bitty laughs. “Are you implying that Jewish people can’t exist in the state of Georgia?”

 

“No, I. It’s just not what I was expecting I guess. I mean it’s called the Bible Belt for a reason.” 

 

“Ain’t that the truth. I didn’t know any other Jewish kids growing up, but I met a couple more when I went to college. There might not have been a lot, we were still a severe minority, but it was nice to not be the only one.” 

 

Jack nods, seeming to understand. “Well then I hope this brings back good memories for you. This place might not have anything on my Bubbe’s* recipe, but it’s still very good. Maybe it’ll convince you to start stocking some rugelach in the bakery, eh?” 

 

They walk into the deli and the smell of matzo ball soup and fresh baked challah hits him immediately, giving him a sudden pang of homesickness. Jack must feel it too, given by the way he stops walking, closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath in. He glances at Bitty, giving him a small smile, before guiding him to the counter. There are about a dozen different flavors of rugelach, from classics like chocolate and raspberry, to ones he’s never seen before like cinnamon raisin and peach. 

 

In the back of the store, Bitty spots Shitty, sitting really close to a girl in a beanie. He nudges Jack. “Hey, that’s Shitty right?”

 

“Yes and that is Lardo. Wow I can’t believe he stole my date spot. That smooth motherfucker.” Jack sounds almost proud as he says it.   


“Should we say hi?”

 

“Nah, I think we should let them have this,” he says, watching the couple fondly. When Lardo reaches across the table to pull Shitty in for a kiss, Jack smile takes up his whole face. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy in my life. They’ve been pining over each other for two years already. I don’t think I could’ve taken a third. If only they had waited one more month though…” Bitty looks at him questioningly. “At work, we all bet on how long it would take them to get together. I had next month. This makes Tater the winner I think, damn it. How is he so good at these things?” (Bitty hadn’t called him charming at dinner, so Jack officially owed Tater a twenty. He wasn’t too mad about it though, considering all the other compliments that Bitty gave him.)

 

Bitty laughs, shocked and pleased. “This Tater must be a smart cookie.”

 

“Or smart pie in your case?”

 

“Har har, Mr. Zimmermann. Stop snooping on your friends and buy me some rugelach.”

 

“As you wish.” A “Princess Bride” reference. Lord help him. 

 

The boys order chocolate and cinnamon raisin (“when I break my nutrition plans it’s go big or go home”) and take the rugelach to go. They sit in Jack’s car, stuffing their faces with food. 

 

“This is incredible,” Bitty says, smiling at Jack. “Thank you so much for telling me about it.” 

 

Jack smiles back, replying, “it’s my honor. I’m glad you like it.” A pause. “Do you want me to turn on some music?” At Bitty’s nod, he turns on the radio, which is set to an oldies station. 

 

Bitty turns to him, incredulous, “do you really listen to oldies?” 

 

“What’s wrong with oldies,” Jack asks, huffing. 

 

“Nothing, just not what I was expecting I guess. I see you have an aux cord… do you usually listen to Spotify playlists or something?” 

 

“Oh, well sometimes I drive to podcasts. I do have Spotify though. I rarely play it in the car, but we can play some tonight. Do you wanna pick out a playlist? I have premium.” 

 

Jack unlocks his phone and hands it to Bitty who eagerly searches through his Spotify. You can tell a lot about a person by what songs they have saved to their library. Bitty goes for his “favorite songs” first, knowing that it’s probably a mixture of all types of genres and sounds (based on personal experience). What he doesn’t expect to see is a lot of slow love songs, most of them country. He got oldies like “Georgia On My Mind” by Ray Charles and “Your Song” by Elton John as well as some modern ones like “When You Say Nothing At All” by Allison Krauss and “Being Again” by Taylor Swift. 

 

“Is THE Jack Zimmermann a secret Taylor Swift fan?” 

 

“What?”

 

“You have “Begin Again” in your favorite songs.” 

 

“Oh, yeah, I like that one. Her voice, the lyrics, it’s just all so delicate.”

 

“Ha, good one.”

 

“That… wasn’t a joke?”

 

“It wasn’t?”

 

“No? I mean it, I really like the song.”

 

“Oh, well, it’s just that she has a song called “Delicate” now. You really haven’t heard it?”

 

“No. Do you want to play it?” 

 

Bitty queues up the song, still a little stunned that Jack had never heard it. He resumes eating his rugelach. You’d think he’d be over pastries after baking all day, but the rugelach is just that good. By the chorus, he’s swaying a little to the song. He can’t help but look at Jack as the song plays. “Handsome, you’re a mansion with a view.” The lyrics could not have been more spot on. 

 

“I like this one too. Will you favorite it?”

 

“Yeah, sure. Pretty sure this makes you an official fan now.” Bitty looks down to favorite the song, and when he looks back up, Jack is a lot closer than he was before. 

 

“Stop me if I’m being too forward.” Then, to the bridge of “Delicate,” Jack Zimmermann leans in for a kiss from Eric Bittle. When Bitty was younger, he used to fantasize a lot about what it would be like to kiss Jack, but this was better than any daydream. 

 

This was better than any pie he’d ever made, any song he’d ever heard, any book he’d ever read. This was better than he ever dreamed he could have. This was the type of kiss that made him understand why people write poetry, and fought wars, and did all other sorts of crazy things to keep this in their lives. This was the closest thing to magic that he would ever feel. This was everything he’d ever wanted, all in one kiss. 

 

Reluctantly pulling back, Jack asks, “was that okay?”

 

Bitty barely suppresses an eye roll. “I think we both know that was more than okay. In fact,” he says, grabbing Jack’s shirt and tugging, “I think I’d like to do it again.”

 

Jack grins. “That can certainly be arranged.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shitty and Lardo definitely walk out of the deli to see Jack and Bitty hardcore making out. They also definitely start knocking on the windows and cheering. 
> 
> You may have noticed a few asterisks in this chapter. Here is the glossary:   
> Rugelach- delicious Jewish pastry, it’s like a big swirl of sugar bread with filling. Just google it.   
> Bubbe- grandmother 
> 
> Also, I have no idea if Dex’s middle name is actually Jacob, I’ve just seen it a bunch in other fics? 
> 
> And that’s it! Wow, I can’t believe this is over. I got this idea at like 2 am a few days ago and wrote the first chapter in an hour. I know the response isn’t huge, but every single kudos and bookmark and subscription truly means so much to me. Thank you to anyone who has interacted with this story in any way, and thank you for making it this far into it. I lowkey wanna do a nurseydex spinoff adn a shitty/lardo (I don’t know their ship name, sorry) spinoff, but would definitely need some encouragement. (lowkey though if one person comments that they want it I probably will). I hope y’all enjoyed this little fic, and I hope you’ll continue to read more from me in the future. See you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> That's chapter one, ah! Tags to be updated as the story updates. I have no idea how long this is gonna be... probably like five chapters? We'll see where the story takes me, I guess. 
> 
> (Yes, I know that the Boston Times is not a real publication.)


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